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Colorex SD&EC; Colorex Plus EC; Colorex Basic Plus

The Forbo Colorex conductive vinyl collections are easy to clean and maintain, thanks to their highly durable pressed vinyl construction.

Initial clean before use

Newly installed floors should not be wet cleaned within 3 days of installation.

Remove all debris, dirt and dust off the floor and clean the floor with a neutral floor cleaner. For larger areas a scrubber dryer or a rotary machine (150-180 rpm) with a 3M red pad or equivalent may be used (if the floor is heavily soiled, a blue or green pad may be used. Pick up dirty water with a wiper and mop or wet vacuum, rinse with clean water and allow floor to dry.

Dry buff the floor with a rotary machine (150 to 180rpm) and a red pad to restore normal gloss levels.

On clean room construction sites e.g. Pharmaceutical, Biotech facilities, operating theatres, deep or abrasive cleaning may not be required. In such cases remove all debris, dirt and dust off the floor by vacuuming or light damp mopping. Allow the floor to dry. Dry buff the floor with a rotary machine (150 to 180rpm) and a red pad.

In either of the above situations, if a higher gloss finish is required dry burnish with a white or beige pad.

Important note for conductive installations: Do not apply any wax or emulsion floor finishes in ESD protected area as these may adversely affect the conductive properties of the floor.

Regular cleaning

The frequency of regular cleaning method will depend on the amount of traffic, soiling levels, desired appearance, and hygiene standards.

Remove dust and loose dirt by vacuum cleaning, sweeping or mopping.

Remove spots, stains and spillages with a damp mop and a neutral floor cleaner.

As required:

Spray clean the floor with a rotary machine (150-180 rpm), a 3M red pad or equivalent and neutral floor cleaner (This is the most appropriate cleaning method for raised access floors).

Periodic maintenance

The following maintenance actions should be used when needed to maintain a satisfactory level of appearance.

Remove dust and loose dirt by vacuum cleaning, sweeping or mopping:

Remove spots, stains and spillages with a damp mop and a neutral floor cleaner and either:

Spray clean the floor with a rotary machine (150 to 180rpm) and a 3M red pad or equivalent (for heavily soiled areas a blue or green pad may be used) using a pH neutral floor detergent.

Or

Clean the floor with a scrubber drier (150 to 180rpm) and a 3M red pad or equivalent (for heavily soiled areas a blue or green pad may be used) using a pH neutral floor detergent.

If required, to restore gloss levels dry buff the floor with a rotary machine (150 to 180rpm) and a red pad.

Difficult scuff marks may be removed by dry buffing with a rotary machine (150 to 180rpm) and a red pad, or by manual scrubbing with a deck scrubber, a blue pad and a suitable neutral cleaning solution.

Important note for conductive installations: Do not use floor maintenance products containing wax or polymers in ESD protected areas as these may adversely affect the conductive properties of the floor.

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General Advice

All newly laid floors should be covered and protected from all other trades during the contract with a suitable non-staining protective covering.

Use protective feet on chairs and tables to reduce scratching. Castor wheels should be of soft material suitable for resilient floor coverings (according to EN425)

Use Entrance Systems

As much as 80% of dirt entering a building is brought in by foot traffic. Entrance flooring systems of an appropriate size (ideally more than 6lm) and quality should be used. Forbo Coral or Nuway entrance flooring systems, are independently proven to remove and retain up to 94% of all dirt and moisture entering a building by foot traffic; reducing maintenance costs and maximising appearance retention of adjacent flooring products as well as reducing slip risk. As with any dirt removal system all entrance flooring systems should be regularly cleaned to release the dirt which has been removed.

Cleaning

Regular cleaning is more beneficial and cost effective than occasional deep cleaning.

Use recommended cleaning products. High quality cleaning products and equipment ensure efficient maintenance and represent only a small proportion of maintenance costs.

Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning products.

Always follow the Health and Safety guidance provided.

Use of Floor Care Chemicals

The improper use of cleaning chemicals may cause damage and/or discolouration. Overuse or inadequate rinsing of cleaning chemicals may compromise the performance of the floor. Abrasive powders or cleansers should not be used.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I clean my floor?

The optimum frequency for cleaning and maintenance is determined by the way the floor is used. When producing a cleaning and maintenance schedule it is good practice to consider the situation of the floor first: e.g. is it near an entrance to the building or on an upper floor? Will it collect dry or moist soil? What level of traffic will it be subjected to?

Do I need to polish my floor?

Do not apply any wax or emulsion floor finishes in ESD protected areas as these may adversely affect the conductive properties of the floor. Polish or buffable floor maintenance products may be used on Colorex in areas where conductive properties are not required.

How do I remove stains?

Remove stains as soon as they are discovered. Most stains can be safely removed using a dry (paper) towel, water, detergent, white spirit or alcohol (in that order). Do NOT use highly alkaline products (ammonia, soda) or strong solvents such as acetone as they can be harmful to both people and to your floor.

Marks causedby

Removedwith

Chocolate, grease,egg, coffee, juice, etc

Neutral floor cleanerin lukewarmwater

Asphalt, oil, rubber, soot

Cleaners’ whitespirits

Chewing-gum

Cool with cold spray orice cubes andscrape.

Rust

Oxalic or citric acid inlukewarmwater

If any doubt exists test cleaning materials on a sample piece or in an inconspicuous area.

Cleaning Machines And Pads

Pad codes

The colour codes indicating grades of pads may vary depending on the manufacturer/country.

Machine speeds

For machine cleaning low speed (150 to 180rpm) machines are recommended. For dry burnishing high speed (300-500rpm) machines are recommended

Recommended Floor care products

For spray cleaning use a pH neutral detergent such as M2 Care Ultra, a pH neutral anti-bacterial cleaning solution. Where spray buffing is permissible/desirable use a pH neutral floor maintainer, for example M2 Daily. Both of the example products above are available from the Wrennalls Group. www.m2care.co.uk Please tel. 01772 435739 for further information.

Task

3M Pad Colour

For regular spraycleaning

Red

For periodicmaintenance

Red

For heavily soiled areas

Blue or Green

Note: Brown or black pads should not be used on Colorex for normal cleaning and maintenance.

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Forbo Flooring Cleaning and Maintenance advice:

Colorex Plus R11 is a durable commercial flooring with a structured surface for added underfoot grip. Correct care and maintenance of the surface will ensure that the performance properties of the product are retained along with optimum appearance.

Initial clean before use

Remove all debris, dirt and dust off the floor. Clean the floor with a scrubber drier or rotary machine (150-180 rpm) with a suitable brush* or a cylindrical brush machine will be most effective. Pick up dirty water with wiper and mop or wet vacuum, rinse with clean water and allow the floor to dry.

*Note: For rotary machines and scrubber driers medium brushes should be used on Colorex R11 plus.

The floor is now ready for use, and does not require any further treatment or finish application.

Regular cleaning

The frequency of regular cleaning method will depend on the amount of traffic, soiling levels, desired appearance, and hygiene standards.

Remove dust and loose dirt by vacuum cleaning or sweeping.

Remove spots, stains and spillages with a damp mop and a neutral floor cleaner. Mop type should be suitable for heavily structured surfaces.

As required:

Manual Cleaning – Scrub with a neutral floor cleaner and a suitable scrubbing brush/mop. Remove dirty water with a wiper and mop. Rinse with clean water and allow the floor to dry.

Machine Cleaning – A neutral floor cleaner in conjunction with a combined scrubber drier with a suitable brush* will produce best results on larger areas.

*Note: For rotary machines and scrubber driers medium brushes should be used on Colorex R11. Cylindrical brush machines with equivalent brushes may be used as an alternative.

Periodic maintenance

Clean the floor periodically using the manual or machine methods above. Clean heavily soiled areas with an intensive floor cleaner (pH-Value < 9). Rinse well with clean water and allow the floor to dry.

Please note:

Do not use seals or polishes, or floor maintainers containing polish as the slip resistant properties of the floor could be reduced.

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General Advice

Protect newly laid floors

All newly laid floors should be covered and protected from all other trades during the contract with a suitable non-staining protective covering.

Use Entrance Systems

As much as 80% of dirt entering a building is brought in by foot traffic. Entrance flooring systems of an appropriate size (ideally more than 6lm) and quality should be used. Forbo Coral or Nuway entrance flooring systems, are independently proven to remove and retain up to 94% of all dirt and moisture entering a building by foot traffic; reducing maintenance costs and maximising appearance retention of adjacent flooring products as well as reducing slip risk. As with any dirt removal system all entrance flooring systems should be regularly cleaned to release the dirt which has been removed.

Cleaning

Regular cleaning is more beneficial and cost effective than occasional deep cleaning.

Use recommended cleaning products. High quality cleaning products and equipment ensure efficient maintenance and represent only a small proportion of maintenance costs.

Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning products.

Use of Floor Care Chemicals

The improper use of cleaning chemicals may cause damage and/or discoloration. Overuse or inadequate rinsing of cleaning chemicals may compromise the performance of the floor.

Abrasive powders or cleansers should not be used. Do not use seals or polishes, or floor maintainers containing polish as the slip resistant properties of Step could be reduced.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I clean my floor?

The optimum frequency for cleaning and maintenance is determined by the way the floor is used. When producing a cleaning and maintenance schedule it is good practice to consider the situation of the floor first:

e.g. is it near an entrance to the building or on an upper floor? Will it collect dry or moist soil? What level of traffic will it be subjected to?

Can I polish my floor?

Polish should not be applied to any Forbo Colorex R11 as the slip resistant properties may be adversely affected.

How do I remove stains?

Remove stains as soon as they are discovered. Most stains can be safely removed using a dry (paper) towel, water, detergent, white spirit or alcohol (in that order). Do NOT use highly alkaline products (ammonia, soda) or strong solvents such as acetone as they can be harmful to both people and to your floor.

Marks causedby

Removedwith

Asphalt, oil, rubber, soot

Cleaners’ whitespirits

Chewing-gum

Cool with cold spray orice cubes andscrape.

Rust

Oxalic or citric acid inlukewarmwater

If any doubt exists test cleaning materials on a sample piece or in an inconspicuous area.

Cleaning brushes, machine speeds and floor care products

Brushes

For rotary machines and scrubber driers medium brushes should be used on Colorex R11. Cylindrical brush machines with equivalent brushes may be used as an alternative.

Machine speeds

For machine cleaning and maintenance, 150 to 180rpm is recommended.

Recommended Floor care products

For regular cleaning use a pH neutral detergent such as M2 Care Ultra, a pH neutral anti-bacterial cleaning solution. The example product above is available from the Wrennalls Group. www.m2care.co.uk Please tel. 01772 435739 for further information.